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Clayton Lake, Photo Gallery, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Colorado

Clayton Lake

Indian Peaks Wilderness Area

Clayton Lake (10,945') is located 2.9 miles from East Portal Trailhead in the James Peak Wilderness. The South Boulder Creek Trail runs 2.2 miles to a bridge over Clayton Creek where an unmarked but well-defined trail branches off and climbs steeply along the creek the lake.Cross-country travel continues up-valley to the Iceberg Lakes.

The unmaintained but still very well-defined trail to Clayton Lake climbs 900' in just .7 miles from the South Boulder Creek Trail turnoff

Clayton Creek is one of several major tributaries of South Boulder Creek, which flows east into Gross Reservoir just west of Boulder

Columbine flowers are believed to have arrived in North America from Asia over the Bering land bridge 10,000 - 40,000 years ago

The east side of Clayton has limited access, but the NW side opens to meadows that extend through much of the upper valley

The Iceberg Lakes (seen here from the Continental Divide) are located .7 miles and 700' above Clayton as the crow flies, but reaching them requires considerable effort on a roundabout route up the north valley wall

The climb along Clayton Creek is very steep with innumerable cascades that photograph well during peak runoff

Despite its beauty, Parry's Primrose have a fairly unpleasant aroma that can last years when dried and pressed

The route between Clayton Lake (seen here) and the Iceberg Lakes is visually obvious with fairly agreeable terrain much of the way

Heart Lake, The Iceberg Lakes and Clayton Lake can be linked to form a challenging but exhilarating loop across the James Peak Wilderness that includes portions of the CDT and cross country travel down the Clayton Creek valley

View of the Continental Divide from the east side of Clayton Lake

A large field of flowers - primarily columbine - carpets the NW side of Clayton Lake

Subalpine meadows have a very short growing season and are slow to repair; walk on rocks and snow whenever possible to minimize impact

The James Peak Wilderness was designated in 2002 and covers over 17,000 acres